


Dr. Leo Fitz, Bachelor

by SouthernBoy



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Forgive Me, I've never watched The Bachelor, Not Beta Read, TheBachelor!Fitz, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, cuz I was bored
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-18
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-03-06 08:23:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13407267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SouthernBoy/pseuds/SouthernBoy
Summary: Fitz.  The Bachelor.  Let the games begin.





	1. Prelude

**Author's Note:**

> In a really boring meeting at work, my mind drifted to other AUs to drop our beloved scientists. So, this is what I came up with. Enjoy!

“I am not bloody doing this!” Dr. Leopold Fitz shouted with his back turned to his audience. His focus was on the deconstructed non-lethal gun on the bench in front of him. “I’m perfectly capable of doing this on my own, Mr. Stark!”

“Fitz, this will be good for you. You’ll wine and dine on someone else’s dime and meet some eligible bachelorettes. And, it’ll be great press for the company. Think about it, Stark Industries’s Boy Wonder, Dr. Leo Fitz, showing the world that he’s more than just a genius. If I wasn’t with Pepper, I’d do it myself,” Tony Stark smirked, looking over at the CEO of Stark Industries, Pepper Potts.

Pepper rolled her eyes. “Tony, you were on the show. Season 2, remember? A colossal mistake, if you ask me. And you did ask me. And you did it anyway.”

Tony cleared his throat and walked over towards Fitz. “Let’s not get off subject. Fitz, this would be good for you. You only leave the lab to go home or when I make you attend a fundraising event. I’m worried about you. Well, your social life. You’re good, but I think you should go out and play with kids your own age.”

Fitz sighed and turned around, still wearing his magnifying glasses. “Mr. Stark, I do have a social life. I just love the work we do. It gives me a sense of purpose knowing we’re helping people, making the world a safer place.”

“See, that’s what the world needs to see. That passion you have for your work and what we do here. Plus, the ladies are going to go crazy over that accent. Isn’t it adorable, Pepper?” Tony half-turned towards Pepper who rolled her eyes again.

“Fitz, I do agree with Tony that we are a little worried about your social life. You’re great with the investors and philanthropists…” Pepper started.

“And the lab techs when they doing screw up!” Tony interrupted.

Pepper ignored Tony’s quip, “but we just want to see you with someone.”

“You two sound like my mum! Has she been calling you again?” Fitz asked, and as he didn’t want to know the answer to his own question knowing that his mum often speaks with Pepper and Tony, quickly continued, “Just fantastic… I just haven’t met anyone that interests me. My roommate keeps setting me up with friends of friends, but they’re just so boring.”

“The perfect answer to boring dates would be a series of televised dates with bachelorette handpicked by producers handpicked by me,” Tony said, wrapping an arm around Fitz’s shoulders and guiding him towards the door.

Fitz sighed again and accepted his fate. “Are they at least sending me to an exotic location? Like Peru? Or the Seychelles?”

Tony hesitated before answering, “Um, I think they’re sending you to Omaha? Or Kalamazoo?”

“What. The. Hell?!” Fitz shouted.  
Pepper slapped Tony’s arm with the back of her hand. “Stop messing around, Tony. Fitz, they’re filming the show in Boston. We convinced the producers to shoot there so you’ll be near a Stark lab. We know you can’t keep focused unless you had time to tinker with your projects.”

Fitz gave Pepper a grateful smile before the realization set in that his dating life would be broadcast around the world for the next 12 weeks. “Help,” he said to no one in particular as Tony led them towards the elevators.

”You’ll do great, Fitz. This is why I hired you,” Tony reassured Fitz.

Fitz looked at his boss, friend, and mentor. “To embarrass myself on television?”

Tony chuckled, “Of course not. Because you’ve overcome every challenge thrown your way. Which is why I know you’ll let the world see your true self. And embarrass yourself along the way.”

“Thanks, Mr. Stark… I think?”


	2. So, How Does This Work?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fitz meets a few important people and hangs out with some friends before shooting the show. What could possibly go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the love so far! No sign of Jemma yet, but we're getting there.

A few days later, Fitz found himself sitting across a long table from two stone-faced producers, Phil Coulson and Melinda May. He fidgeted nervously under their glare, and glanced behind them at the door, hoping someone would walk in and save him from the awkward meeting.

“Ahem, this is my first time doing this sort of thing,” Fitz began. “What am I supposed to do exactly?”

Coulson and May continued to glare at Fitz while remaining silent. After a minute, the door opened and a tall, bald man with an eye patch walked in.

“Dr. Leo Fitz, Bachelor,” the man said. “Do you like it?”

Fitz’s eyes darted between the newcomer and Coulson and May still glaring at him. “Like what, sir?”

The man laughed and placed his hands on his hips. “The name of the show. We’ll call it ‘Dr. Leo Fitz, Bachelor’ to give it a little more pizzazz.”

“Pizzazz? What..? I’m not sure that naming the show after me is the way to go, sir?” Fitz’s face twisted in confusion.

The man sat down in the chair next to him and clapped his hand on Fitz’s back, causing him to cough.

“Nonsense, Fitz! Besides, once Stark and Pepper pitched the idea with that title, I was sold.” The man offered his hand to Fitz as an introduction. “I’m Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Network. I see you’ve met Phil Coulson and Melinda May, the executive producers. They’ll take real good care of you. I’ll pop in every so often, but you can go to Coulson and May for anything.”

Fitz winced at Fury’s crushing grip. “Um, thank you, sir?”

“No, thank you, Fitz. I think this show is going to be a hit. The network gets ad revenue, Stark gets publicity, and you might find a special someone. We all win.” Fury stood and motioned to Coulson and May. “Don’t be intimidated by them. I asked to be the first to speak with you before everyone got to work. Now, get to work!”

Fitz jumped at Fury’s last words and watched as he left the room. His eyes moved back to Coulson and May who were now smiling at him. He swallowed nervously and forced a smiled along with an awkward wave.

Coulson spoke first. “Now that the introductions are out of the way, are you ready to get to work?”

“Yup,” Fitz responded, dragging out the ‘p’ and turning towards May. “Where do we start?”

May looked down at her notes and crossed off a few items. “We’ve already determined the title and the location for the show to keep you near at Stark lab.”

“Why couldn’t we go somewhere exotic? Like Tahiti?” Fitz asked.

“I heard that place sucks. Fitz, we don’t really have that kind of a budget for this show. We want to keep it relatable with the audience. A simple locale, contestants from all walks of life, a bachelor that most guys can beat up…” Coulson replied.

“Beat up? Oh that’s just bloody fantastic!” Fitz shouted.

“It’s only to bring the show to a realistic vibe, no offense,” May said to try and calm Fitz. “For not, there’s nothing you need to do until we arrive for shooting. You can bring a few friends for moral support, if you’d like.”

Fitz nodded and shook Coulson and May’s hands as he was escorted into a network attorney’s office to sign the necessary paperwork. Happy Hogan, Tony’s assistant, was waiting for Fitz at the front desk and showed Fitz to the car.

“How’d it go, Fitz? Pretty cool, right?” Happy asked, stating the car.

“I’m not sure? I think Mr. Stark went a bit mad on this one.” Fitz stared out the window the entire drive back to his flat.

Happy parked the car and turned in his seat to face Fitz. “You know if Tony didn’t believe in you, he wouldn’t have put all of this together.”

Fitz made eye contact with Happy and nodded. “I know, Happy. There are days when I can’t believe that a total stranger, the most famous billionaire in the world at that, picked me to be his guy. After my da told me I was worthless and would never amount to anything… It’s just overwhelming.”

Happy looked at the young engineer for a moment before getting out of the car. He opened the door for Fitz and patted him on the back as he exited the vehicle. “Tony sees big things for you in the future. Don’t let someone who doesn’t matter hold you back. You’re a great kid, just keep doing what you’ve been doing and it’ll all work out.”

“Thanks, Happy,” Fitz said with a smile. “I’ll see you in a few days, yeah?”

Fitz walked into his flat and was greeted with the shouts of his friends.

“Fitzy! I missed you so much mate, why don’t you come here and give me a proper hello!” Lance Hunter, his roommate said from his perch on the couch.

Fitz rolled his eyes and walked into the kitchen. He returned to the living room with a handful of beers and tossed them around. Hunter shouted with glee and mumbled something about how Fitz knew how to properly greet his friends.

Alphonso Mackenzie, or Mack as he preferred to be called, caught one without taking his focus off the Call of Duty game in progress. “Thanks, Turbo. You can fill us in on the meeting after I finish kicking Trip’s ass.”

“You wish, Mack,” Antoine Triplett, or Trip, said with his signature smile. “But I think Fitz’s meeting is more important than me winning again.”

“You’re right, I have news for you lads.” Fitz shut off the TV to Mack’s dismay. “Get packed, we’re going to Boston.”

Hunter quickly finished his beer before responding. “Boston? I thought they were filming that dating show here?”

Fitz shook his and took a sip of beer. “Nope, Mr. Stark has a nice house he’s letting the network shoot the show at. It’ll let me be near a Stark lab to do some work when we have downtime. But they’re letting me bring you lot with me. Luckily, we all work for the same guy and this guy is behind the entire thing.”

Trip smiled again and held out a fist for Fitz. “That’s awesome, Fitz!”

Fitz stared at Trip’s fist and awkwardly shook it. “So, you’ll all go with me?”

“Of course we will, mate! How could we pass up the opportunity to watch you make a fool of yourself in front of the entire world?” Hunter cracked open another beer and took a celebratory drink.

Mack chuckled and took a drink of his beer. “Fitz, you’ll be fine. Just do the opposite of everything Hunter has done, and you’ll be just fine.”

Fitz sat back and smiled into his beer as his closest friends began playfully bickering. The day had been a whirlwind for him, but he finally felt himself begin to relax. The show was happening no matter what, so he might as well go along with it. _‘I mean,’ he thought, ‘what’s the worst that could happen?’_

“You know, if Fitz ends up snogging with a bird, even his mum will be able to watch it!” Hunter laughed.

_‘Shite.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!


	3. What's the Worst That Could Happen?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daisy convinces Simmons to audition for a dating show.

Dr. Jemma Simmons slammed the door of the apartment she shared with her roommate. She tossed her jacket and purse on the kitchen counter and huffed in anger. Jemma’s roommate, Daisy Johnson, looked up from her laptop and pulled her earbuds out to address her angry friend.

“I take it your presentation did not go well, huh?” Daisy tentatively asked.

Jemma threw herself down on the couch next to Daisy and handed her a beer. “Of course it did. But that wanker, Nathanson, took all the credit and froze me out of the Q&A with the executives. He stole my notes during lunch so he was prepared for every question they threw at him. Maria Hill shook his hand when it was all over but walked right by me.”

Daisy rubbed Jemma’s shoulder with a sympathetic smile. “We’ll just have to find a way to get Nathanson back. Want me to hack into his work computer and leave him a present?”

Jemma chuckled and gave Daisy’s hand a slight squeeze with her own. “You know how I feel about being involved with your bad girl shenanigans. I’ll figure something out, I suppose.”

The two clinked bottles and took a sip of their beers. “You can’t let him get to you, Jemma. He needs you to dumb things down so he can understand what he’s stealing from you. Just keep what you say to him at nerd level 100 and he’ll start falling apart. Then you can swoop in and save the day.”

Jemma thought for a moment, pondering the truth bomb Daisy just dropped. “Daisy, I love you, you little genius! I’ve made it so easy for Nathanson to steal my work! I should just talk to him like I used to talk to my professors and watch his little head explode.”

Jemma let out a fake evil laugh which sounded more like a terrible Jabba the Hutt impression than a menacing laugh. Daisy rolled her eyes but smiled at her best friend.

“Of course! Oh, so you know how much you love me right?” Daisy asked.

“What do you need now?” Jemma leaned away from Daisy with a confused look.

Daisy grabbed her laptop and opened a browser window. “So you know they’re bringing back ‘ _Eligible Bachelor_ ,’ right?”

“That god awful show we used to watch and make fun of how pathetic the girls were so they could get their 15 minutes of fame and get invited back to be on ‘ _Hottest Bachelorette_?’ Looks like we have something to look forward to on Monday nights again.” Jemma smiled, thinking of the fun they used to have before Nathanson made her life a living hell.

“Exactly! So you wouldn’t mind auditioning for the show with me, right? Thanks, Jem! You’re the best! I already signed us up and the auditions are tomorrow!” Daisy said as she jumped over the back of the couch and ran into her bedroom.

Jemma’s jaw dropped as realization set in. Daisy signed the two of them up to audition for a reality dating show. A show where the final pairing was predetermined to maximize broadcast ratings. A show where women acted out all of the terrible and untrue stereotypes that have been placed on women. A show that her friends, family, and coworkers would watch. Jemma jumped to her feet and walked over to the closed door to Daisy’s room. She banged on the door and shouted, “DAISY JOHNSON! WHAT THE F…”

“I love you!” Daisy interrupted from the safety of her room. “It’ll be fun! And who knows? Maybe we’ll meet the man of our dreams?”

“Not bloody likely,” Jemma muttered under her breath.

Daisy poked her head out of her room and gave her a mischievous smile. “Just you wait, Dr. Simmons.”

“I’ll have you know that I don’t need a show to find a man. I’m quite capable on my own. Yes, I’ll admit it’s been a few months since I went out on a date, but still, I don’t need a scripted and outright terrible television program to meet someone. And neither do you.” Jemma lectured, using the authoritative voice that Daisy often teased her for.

“Come on, Professor Simmons. It’ll be fun!” Daisy protested.

Jemma took a breath and asked as calmly as possible, “Daisy, why are we doing this? Can’t you audition by yourself?”

Daisy came out of her room and stood in front of Jemma. “I’m a little embarrassed by this, Jemma, but it’s been six months since all that crap with Ward. There are days I feel like I’m too boring for guys or maybe I’m just damaged goods. None of the blind dates I’ve been on have led to a second. I figured this would be a chance for me to break out of my shell and do something completely different. To see what it would feel like for a guy to pick me, you know?”

Jemma’s heart broke at her roommate’s confession. Daisy’s break up with Grant Ward was something straight out of a soap opera. It involved a double life, a web of lies, and a lot of hard liquor in the aftermath. Daisy was staring at her feet, shifting uncomfortabl7. Jemma walked over and hugged her roommate.

“I had no idea you felt like this, Daisy. I’m sorry if I’ve been so self-absorbed with work and Nathanson. If you think this show will help you get back on ‘in the saddle’ as you Americans like to say, then I’ll be there right by your side,” Jemma agreed. She could feel Daisy’s smile on her shoulder as she hugged Jemma tighter.

“You’re the best friend a girl could have. No wait, you’re the bestest friend a girl could have. No wait, you’ve been elevated to sister-status!” Daisy gushed.

Jemma took a step back but kept her hands on Daisy’s shoulders. “I’m always here for you. Now, while this is definitely something I’ve never considered doing in my wildest dreams, I guess it would be a welcome distraction from Nathanson. And I suppose it would be fun to see how the producers find these women. Besides, there’s no way we get picked, right? What’s the worst that could happen?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Leave some love!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!
> 
> Also, I am looking for a beta reader... Let me know if you're interested!


End file.
